Three identical resistors of 6 Ω are connected in parallel to a 12 V battery. What is the total current drawn from the battery?

• A. 2 A
• B. 4 A
• C. 6 A
• D. 12 A

Answer: (C)

In a parallel circuit, each resistor has the full source voltage across it, and the total current is the sum of the currents through all branches. Each 6 Ω resistor connected to 12 V draws current of 12/6 = 2 A. With three identical resistors, the currents add up to 3 × 2 A = 6 A total.

Another way to see it is to find the equivalent resistance of three 6 Ω resistors in parallel: 1/Req = 1/6 + 1/6 + 1/6 = 3/6 = 1/2, so Req = 2 Ω. The battery current is then 12 V / 2 Ω = 6 A.